Although Gary Coleman might be inspirational for some, if we’re talking BJJ – a great inspiration for me is Garry Kasparov.

Kasparov epitomises everything that a good grappler should be. His intellectual prowess, the way he played chess and his prolonged dominance over his peers – was and still is truly inspirational.

It’s not just him as a person but the game of chess on a whole which draws so much inspiration. BJJ concepts like Patience points, Tidal movement, 90% positions, Red herrings and calculated sacrifice (See the concepts page.) are all straight out of the chess arena and translate neatly into a conceptual BJJ game.

So it only seems fitting that we as BJJ aficionados take influence and reference from arguably the greatest player of all time, playing the most intellectual game ever invented. (more…)